It takes just 20 minutes to cook perfect Tortellini in the Instant Pot. This Creamy Tortellini is a perfect one-pot weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
Making pasta in the instant pot is my go-to for a quick meal. And this five cheese tortellini is even better.
You can cook it in the instant pot from frozen. Just put all the ingredients to the instant pot, and pressure cook, then mix in the cream and you have a wonderful cozy meal ready to be served.
With little kids at home, I like to add spinach to this tortellini for added nutrition. You can add any veggies of your liking. You can also add pre-cooked roasted chicken to this tortellini!
Pair this tortellini with some roasted veggies, such as Asparagus, Broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
If you are a fan of pasta in the instant pot, check out my collection of 10+ Instant Pot Pasta Recipes.
Why make Tortellini in Instant Pot?
What I like about making this in the instant pot is the flavors of the sauce completely infused in the pasta. We are cooking the pasta along with the sauce and veggies, so the tortellini can completely soak in the sauce. For this recipe, I use the frozen tortellini. With the dry cheese tortellini, the cooking time will vary.
How to make Instant Pot Tortellini?
This is one of the easiest pasta recipes where you need basic ingredients.
Tortellini – I used Five Cheese Tortellini that I got from Costco. You can use refrigerated or frozen tortellini in this recipe.
Marinara Sauce – I used store bough Rao’s Marinara sauce.
Spinach – This is optional. I like to add it for extra nutrition.
Heavy Cream – I like to add some heavy cream at the end for a creamy sauce. It is completely optional, but my kids preferred pasta sauce.
It takes less than 20 minutes to make this delicious pasta. It is mostly a dump-and-go recipe, which makes it perfect to put together on a busy weeknight!
- To the instant pot steel insert, add tortellini, garlic, marinara and broth, in that order. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the setting to pressure cook mode at high pressure for 2 minute. When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Open the lid.
- Add the spinach, and heavy cream.
Mix well, and the tortellini is ready!
Serve the tortellini in a bowl. Top with freshly grated parmesan, basil leaves, and red chili flakes (optional).
Tips for Perfect Tortellini
- When preparing Tortellini in Instant Pot or another Pressure Cooker, the main thing to remember is less is more (time). So keep it for just enough time, in this case for frozen tortellini just 2 minutes on pressure cook and quick release the pressure. You don’t want mushy pasta.
- Leave the tortellini frozen and it will cook perfectly.
- This tortellini soaks up all the liquid as it is stored. So if reheating, you can add more sauce to your taste.
Enjoy this quick Instant Pot Tortellini. It can be paired with the Roasted Carrot and Bell Pepper Soup.
Instant Pot Tortellini in 20 Minutes
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Cheese Tortellini, 1 bag frozen
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 cup Marinara Sauce
- 1 cup Water , or Broth
- 1 cup Baby Spinach, packed and chopped
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream
- Basil leaves, to garnish
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, to garnish
- Crushed Red Chili Flakes, optional
Instructions
- To the instant pot steel insert, add tortellini, garlic, marinara and broth, in that order. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the setting to pressure cook mode at high pressure for 2 minute. When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Open the lid.
- Add the spinach, and heavy cream. Mix well.
- Cheese Tortellini is ready to be served. Top with freshly grated parmesan, basil leaves and red chili flakes (optional)
I was wondering if anyone has tried frozen grilled chicken strips in this recipe and if so what modifications?
Hello – To add frozen grilled chicken, you can add that on top of the other ingredients before pressure cooking. If you prefer, you can also cook the grilled chicken separately in an air fryer or pan, and top on the tortellini after it is cooked. I hope you enjoy the tortellini recipe.
Can you use fresh tortellini instead of frozen? And if so, how long do keep the pressure cooker settings for?
Hello – I have not tried with fresh tortellini, however I think the same cooking time will work well. Please do share if you try fresh tortellini.
Hi my bag of cheese tortellini says to cook 8-10 minutes. Do I put the instant pot cooking for the recipe time or the bag time. Thanks
Hi John – I would suggest to cook it for 3 minutes in instant pot and check if it is cooked well. Typically the rule for pasta is 1/2 the time on the package minus 1 minutes. Hope you enjoy it!
Very good flavour profile. Velvety mouth feel too. It’s a keeper! I did cook it 3 mins and I still thought either I’d give it another min, or let it rest a few mins before the release.
Hi Carol – Happy to hear you enjoyed the tortellini. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I used to make a variation of this recipe and I’ve lost it. Did you update it and if so could you email me the previous one?
Hi Sarah – Yes, I did update this recipe with more details, new photos and video. The old recipe had some pesto added at the end. Most of the other details should be the same.
Made this last night and it was great. I used a jar of vodka sauce, didn’t use spinach or cream, sautéed ground beef in the instant pot first and followed the rest of the instructions and it turned out yummy!
Hi Julie – Happy to hear you enjoyed the tortellini!
Loved this recipe! Unbelievable delicious textured quick dinner 😊
Just wondering if I can make frozen Ravioli with this recipe?
Thanks a lot for tips!
H Roopa – I have not tried frozen ravioli in the instant pot yet, but do think it will work well the same way as the tortellini.